Rissóis de camarão are Portugal's beloved shrimp rissoles — half-moons of dough filled with creamy shrimp béchamel, crumbed and fried — a classic petisco and party staple drawn from the wider Iberian rissole tradition.
A shattering golden crust gives way to a thin, soft pastry and a molten, savory shrimp cream within. Each bite is rich and comforting, with sweet shellfish flavor enveloped in silky béchamel.
The hot-water dough gelatinizes its starch for a pliable, leak-proof wrapper, while the chilled béchamel firms enough to shape yet melts back to creamy when fried.
Variations
Cod filling (rissóis de bacalhau), minced meat filling, chicken filling, baked instead of fried
On the Palate
Where Rissóis de Camarão sits in the Portuguese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 50 min
- 120 min
Make a thick shrimp béchamel by cooking chopped shrimp into a butter-flour-milk sauce, then chill until firm.
Watch outChill the shrimp béchamel until it's firm enough to hold a scoop's shape — a loose, warm filling will ooze out and burst the rissóis in the oil.
- 26 min
Bring water, butter and salt to a boil, then stir in flour to form a smooth hot-water dough.
Watch outStir the flour into the boiling water off no rush until the dough pulls cleanly from the pan into one smooth ball — that's the gelatinized, leak-proof wrapper.
- 38 min
Knead the warm dough briefly until elastic, then roll it out thinly.
- 410 min
Cut circles and place a spoonful of the cooled filling on each.
- 58 min
Fold into half-moons and press the edges firmly to seal.
Watch outPress the edges hard and check there's no filling caught in the seam — one gap and the béchamel leaks the moment it hits hot oil.
- 68 min
Dip each rissol in beaten egg, then coat in breadcrumbs.
- 712 min
Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides.
Watch outPull them when they're an even deep gold and float up — too pale and the breadcrumbs taste raw, too dark and the shell turns bitter.
- 83 min
Drain on paper and serve hot.
